Food, fertilizers must be exempted from any unilateral restrictions - Russian Economic Development Minister

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Russia advocates for the exemption of food and fertilizers from any unilateral restrictive measures, Economic Development Minister Maxim Reshetnikov said at the COP31 session…

ANTALYA. Nov 12 (Interfax) - Russia advocates for the exemption of food and fertilizers from any unilateral restrictive measures, Economic Development Minister Maxim Reshetnikov said at the COP31 session Building the Future: Climate Solutions for Food Systems.

Reshetnikov noted that the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) has been in effect since 2026. Its scope includes fertilizers, which leads to an increase in the cost of this essential agricultural resource.

"According to Article 3.5 of the UNFCCC [United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change], climate measures should not be used to discriminate against countries or to impose disguised restrictions on international trade. We believe that food and fertilizers should be exempted from any unilateral restrictive measures, and that the consequences of such measures should be addressed within the framework of the UNFCCC's work on response measures," Reshetnikov said.

CBAM, developed by the European Union, requires importers of goods to pay a carbon tax equivalent to the costs incurred by European producers of similar products for their greenhouse gas emissions. The levy under CBAM has been in effect in 2026, initially covering cement, steel, aluminum, fertilizers, electricity, and hydrogen. It is expected that the list will expand in the future.

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